Rabbit Terminology & Classification

Terms Buck – Mature male rabbit Doe – Mature female rabbit Buckling – Young male rabbit Doeling – Young female rabbit Kit – Newborn rabbit Kindling – Birthing process of rabbits Variety – Fur color

Body Types Commercial – Fast growing rabbits with meaty loins used for meat production purposes. – Rabbit is the “other” white meat

Body Types Compact – Small breeds for “fancy” purpose – Look well balanced when properly setup

Body Types Cylindrical – Properly posed in a cylindrical fashion – Used for a “fancy” purpose

Body Types Full-Arch – Always alert and energetic in nature – High arch to the spine with erect ears

Body Types Semi-Arched – “Gentle Giants” – Possess low shoulders with a high hip

Fur Types Fly-back – “flies back” into place when your hand is rubbed across it Rollback – “rolls back” into place Rex – Rarest type of fur with a velvet texture to the coat with hair that stands up Satin – Much softer with more sheen than normal fly-back or rollback fur Wool – wool fibers that are of higher density than sheep wool.

Rabbit Sizes Small – Under 6 pounds Medium – 6-9 pounds Large – 9-11 pounds Giant – Over 11 pounds

Domestic vs Wild rabbits Domestic – Bred to live peacefully in human enclosures for pet, show, or meat purposes – Kits born naked, blind, and deaf Wild – Need to live in the wild – Kits born with full hair, sight, and hearing

Breeds

New Zealand Body type: Commercial Fur type: Fly-back Max weight: 12lbs 4 recognized color varieties – white, black, red and broken The red varieties often produces mutated white kits.

Californian Body type: Commercial Fur type: Fly-back Only one accepted “pointed” variety Known for their meat production Max weight: 12 lbs During cold weather, kits develop a problem with smut

French Lop Body type: commercial Fur type: rollback 19 accepted solid & broken varieties Senior minimum weight: 10lbs Ms. B’s favorite

Harlequin Body type: Commercial Fur type: Fly back 2 varieties: Magpie and Japanese that come in 4 colors each. Does have a maximum weight of 9.5 lbs 60% of their show points are on their markings – only 10% for body structure

Satin Body type: Commercial Fur type: Satin Max weight: 11lbs Known for the sheen their fur possesses. – There is now a mini satin breed 11 recognized varieties

Mini Rex Body type: Compact Fur type: Rex Max weight: 4.5lbs Most popular breed of rabbits due to their small size and plush fur 17 currently recognized varieties – 4 more varieties with a certificate of development

American Fuzzy Lop Body type: Compact Fur type: Wool Solid or Broken Varieties 19 accepted solid & broken varieties Max weight of 3.5 lbs Known as the wooly holland lop

Dutch Body type: Compact Fur Type: Fly-back 6 recognized varieties Weight: lbs Markings: clean, clear, distinct, and free of drags of opposite color. – Cheeks, blaze, neck, saddle, undercut, stops

Jersey Wooly Body type: Compact Fur type: Wool Max weight: 3.5lbs Easiest wool breed to care for Shown in 5 different variety groups – Agouti, AOV, Self, Shaded, Tan Pattern.

Holland Lop Body Type: Compact Fur type: rollback 19 accepted solid & broken varieties Max weight: 4 lbs Known for their bulldog heads – Points wise, their head/crown/ears are worth as many points as their body and bone structure

Himilayan Body type: Cylindrical Fur Type: Fly back Max weight of 4.5lbs 4 varieties: Black, blue, chocolate, and lilac. – Color shown on points One of the most docile breeds Stretched out as far as possible with hocks flat on the judging table

Checkered Giant Body Type: Full Arch Fur Type: rollback Black and Blue are only acceptable varieties Markings: Butterfly across nose, 2 spots on either side of the body with a stripe running along the spine from the base of the ears to the tail. Senior does: minimum weight 11lbs

Tan Body type: Full Arch Fur Type: Fly back Max weight: 6lbs 4 varieties: black, blue, chocolate, lilac “Tan” markings on ears, eye circles, chin, neck triangle, chest, belly.

English Spot Body Type: Full Arch Fur type: Fly-back Weight: 6-8lbs 7 recognized color varieties Markings – Butterfly on nose, eye circles, cheek spots, solid ears, solid saddle marking, broken loin markings, side chain markings, one spot each leg, 6 belly spots

Rhinelander Body Type: Full Arch Fur Type: Fly back All markings, except the cheek spots, must carry both black and bright golden orange. Markings: colored ears, eye circles, cheek spots, butterfly, solid spine, and 6-8 side spots Max weight: 10lbs

English Lop Body type: Semi-Arch Fur Type: fly-back Ears must measure 21 inches from tip to tip The do not have a crown, ears fall naturally 19 accepted solid & broken varieties Minimum weight of 10.5lbs

Flemish Giant Body Type: Semi-Arch Fur Type: fly-back 7 recognized color varieties Body can be up to 32 inches in length Known to weigh on average 14-20lbs The “gentle giants”

Beveren Body type: Semi-Arch Fur Type: rollback Black, blue, and blue-eyed white varieties V-shaped ear carriage Popular in Europe Max Weight: 12lbs

American Body type: Semi-Arch Fur type: Rollback Blue and white are their only varieties Max Weight: Bucks: 9-11lbs, Does lbs Very rare, old breed

Common Rabbit Disqualifications from Show

General DQ’s No permanent left ear tattoo Over/under weight Wrong sex, breed, group, variety Off colored eyes Incorrect markings or wrong coloring Missing or broken teeth Unmatched toenails Wry or screw tail

Disease/Disorder DQ’s Split penis or a cryptorchid Blindness Torn ears Wall or Moon eye Conjunctivitis Malocclusion Sore hocks Broken tail

Rabbit Equipment

Cage or Hutch Convenient and sanitary Allow for fresh air and sunlight Provide protection from weather & predators Provide room for growth and exercise Floors made of wire to allow for sanitation

Feeder & Waterer Feeder Use a trough or crock or metal feeder Wire bottom metal feeders prevent powder (feed waste) buildup Creep feeders to supplement feed babies Waterers Automatic, Bottle, or Crock

Nesting Box Keeps babies warm Allows for ventilation Keeps kits in until they are big enough to hop in and out Large enough to fit the doe comfortably